Revolving funds for the town recycling center and Heritage Commission will be put before New Ipswich voters in March.
Town officials have spent the last two weeks working on the proposed 2023 warrant, which includes many articles that are repeats of this year’s requests, according to Town Administrator Debbie Deaton.
Among those articles that will be new to voters are requests for $20,000 each to seed a revolving fund for the transfer station and the Heritage Commission. Revolving funds allow revenue from a particular department to accumulate year to year, which can be spent within that department.
The transfer station funds would be used for improvements or equipment for the recycling center. Deaton, who is also a member of the Heritage Commission, said the commission has several projects it would like to address in the town’s historical buildings, including the historic old Town Hall, which has been limited in its use since problems were discovered in the foundation.
The revolving fund would allow the commission to fundraise and accept donations, and retain those funds to save for larger projects, Deaton said.
The board has also discussed the possibility of creating new capital reserves or trust funds for the town fire and police departments, Deaton said. While both departments already have dedicated reserve funds, they are for specific purposes, such as for replacing vehicles, and in the Fire Department’s case, turnout gear. The reserves do not allow for the replacement of other equipment, such as radios or police body armor or shields. At this point, the board has not made any decision yet on whether to propose those new accounts, or how much they should be seeded with, Deaton said, but it is still under consideration.
The town also has the option this year to readopt its veterans’ tax credits. Though the town already has the credits in place, recent changes in the law include current active-duty service members, in addition to those honorably discharged. New Ipswich had previously approved a tax credit for its veterans of $750, and proposes keeping that amount, with the inclusion of current military members.
Three articles deal with continued road work. The first is to accept a block grant from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, and is not raised by taxation. The amount coming to the town this year is $106,257.
In addition to the grant, the town is asking for an $600,000 total in tax funding for roadwork. The funding is split between two separate articles, one requesting $350,000 and the other $250,000. The town has traditionally split the funding request to allow the possibility of voters only passing one. If both articles pass, the town plans to grind and add a base coat to Hakala Drive, Andrew Drive, Nora Court, Blueberry Lane and Mason Road, and add a top coat to Collins Road.
The town is asking for a total of $288,500 in additions to previously established capital reserve and expendable trust funds. This is the same amount requested last year, in keeping with the replacement schedules for town equipment. The single article addresses additions to eight funds: $95,000 for the Highway Department, $50,000 for the Fire Department, $6,000 for pool maintenance, $2,500 for parks and recreation, $50,000 for the Police Department, $30,000 for the revaluation reserve, $35,000 for building maintenance and $20,000 for fire protection equipment.
Two articles provide funding for organizations that are not owned by the town, but do provide services to its residents – $114,000 for the Souhegan Valley Ambulance Service and $40,000 for the New Ipswich Library. Both requests are the same as this year.
The town is also proposing a total of $9,970 in funding for community nonprofits and support organizations. This is compared to $10,515 offered to similar organizations this year. The town will be adding a contribution to Shelter from the Storm in Jaffrey, and eliminating a previous year’s contribution to the Red Cross.
The town has not yet finalized its proposed budget or default budget, but should be completing that process within the next few weeks. The town has scheduled a budget hearing for Jan. 17. The town’s deliberative session is scheduled for Feb. 7.